Senior Iranian cleric calls 9/11 attacks ”Puppet Show”

Published January 12th, 2007 - 22:00 GMT

Tehran's substitute Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said "The US and the UK are supporting terrorists in Iraq."

Tehran's substitute Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said "The US and the UK are supporting terrorists in Iraq." Speaking in the second sermon of the Friday Prayers, Ayatollah Jannati said, "The United States of America has failed in its policies."

According to IRNA, the ayatollah called September 11 event a "Puppet Show", which had been "planned by Americans, themselves." "The Americans used such a pretext to bring up the slogans of fighting terrorism and promoting democracy and then took advantage of these against the Islamic countries. However, in reality, they have failed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon and their slogans have lost their effectiveness."

"When they recognized that their policies in Iraq were inefficient, the US and UK changed their policies and now are trying to make people fight against each other calling it "new policy".

He called the spreading of discord among Shia' and Sunni in Iraq and the world as a weapon of the US and UK and stressed that "such weapons must be taken out of their hands."

He said Shia wants unity among Muslims adding "We are not against Sunnis and the late Imam Khomeini called for unity among Shia' and Sunni."